By Philip Buda Ladu/Deng Gai Deng
Armed men in military uniform ambushed and killed 10 civilians in cold blood in Wonduruba Administrative Payam of Central Equatoria State on Wednesday night.
According to local authorities, the gruesome incident which also left four other victims nursing machete wounds, occurred following a visit of the state governor, Gen. Augustino Jadalla Kamilo Wani.
The governor, who is on county tour, visited the area and left for Yei River County, the very day before the shocking incident occurred.
A clash was then reported between government-affiliated militias under the command of Gen. Kenyi Abdu, aka Kenyi Warrior, who defected to the government from NAS rebels, and the National Salvation United Forces (NSUF) under Gen. Kenyi Loburon in Logoko Boma at the outskirts of Wonduruba town.
Reports intimated that the fighting left nine militia members dead and several others injured, and Gen. Kenyi Warrior’s vehicle was ambushed and destroyed by rebels while he tried to flee to Lainya.
Bishop Matthew Taban of Wonduruba Diocese of Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS), who attended Governor Jadalla’s peace really on Wednesday, said he was shocked to hear of the tragedy, on Thursday morning.
Taban confirmed the killing of the 10 civilians, mostly young men, including one of his pastors and a nurse who was returning home after caring for wounded government militia, brought from the clash for treatment at Wonduruba health centre.
“The incident happened in Wonduruba; armed men went to the area south of the center of Wonduruba near the dispensary, near my house (bishop’s residence), and they were opening people from their houses, pushing them out, and then at the end they killed ten people; they shot them,” Taban told No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday.
He explained that some residents in parts of Wonduruba town, who were not touched, though they heard gunshots, they never knew what was happening, because it was raining.
“Summarily ten people were killed and four others were chopped, hacked with machetes or pangas,” he added.
Bishop Taban, who returned to Juba on Wednesday, said he was informed that the killing of the 10 civilians followed a skirmish outside Wonduruba town where clashes were reported between the government militia and rebels operating in the area that left soldiers injured.
“Some of military who are with the government—seven of them were injured and brought to the health center in Wonduruba for treatment,” he said.
The area bishop alleged that the attack against the civilians seemed like retaliation after the clash.
“Our guess is that maybe it is just a retaliation of the clash that happened in the outskirts of Wonduruba that has been imported to the town, which is like revenge killings, and the attackers were soldiers in our army uniform,” Taban exclaimed.
He urged the government and rebels to pursue a peaceful means to resolve their political difference, a message earlier echoed by Governor Augustino Jadalla Wani during his address to Wonduruba citizens.
“My appeal is to let them follow the trend of peaceful means to resolve political differences. Encourage people to go to the negotiating table and abandon violence because it cannot bring peace and relations between civilians and the army have to be amicably handled,” the cleric urged.
Amule Jongolose, a lawmaker representing Central Equatoria State in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, condemned the incident, describing it as ‘barbaric killing and massacre’ of innocent people in Wonduruba and Jebel Iraq by the SSPDF.
He urged the national government and C.E.S. government to investigate and bring the perpetrators to book and justice immediately.
“We urge the SSPDF to ensure equal protection and rightful treatment for our citizens of South Sudan as a whole; we demand accountability for human rights violations from those heartless killers. I know that the Governor’s tour of six countries and Wonduruba Administrative Payam had been disturbed and disorganized with these unfortunate and tragic killings and harm inflicted upon innocent youths (citizens) of C.E.S,” Jongolose said
He extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, Wonduruba Administrative Payam, and Pojulu Community as a whole.
The South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) has confirmed ongoing armed clashes in Wunduruba Administrative Payam in Central Equatoria State.
SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Rau Koang acknowledged the fighting but declined to provide details, stating he was trying to contact the commander on the ground.
“I have heard about the fighting in Wunduruba, but I am not able to get in touch with the commander so that I get details. So yes, we have heard about the fighting, but we do not have details,” Koang said.